Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 1 - Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Dinner and Intentions 

Outside Old Reve Orchard — Ray Starling 
After I defeated the Demi-Dragon Worm, I picked up its drop item, a Demi-Dragon Worm Treasure Coffer, and escaped from Old Reve Orchard while carrying Milianne. 
I didn’t think about going to aid Liliana. 
On the window screen displaying our party members’ status, I could see that she was doing fine. Moreover, there was no way that a miracle like what had just happened would occur a second or third time. I had the feeling that if I were to get full of myself now, then it would definitely ruin things. 
“Withdrawing is the right choice.” Nemesis, who was apparently my Embryo, explained the battle situation like so. “That tian girl won’t die. She’s the stronger of the two, so even if it takes some time, she’ll win for sure against that damn centipede.” 
“Even though you were just born, you seem to be more informed about this world than I am,” I said. 
It appears she even knows about Liliana, so maybe she has memories from before she hatched. 
“That’s because even if I take the form of a human, I’m not one,” she said. “Mysterious things like that exist. More importantly, Master, if you possess a thing called curiosity, then isn’t it about time you had something to ask me?” 
Nothing sprang to mind. I didn’t respond. 
I’m starting to get a handle on it, but Nemesis seems to be the type that likes to speak in a roundabout way, I thought. Well, I guess I’m not one to talk, since I’m able to understand her. 
In other words, she was saying, “Hurry up and check out my abilities on the status screen.” 
I looked at the status screen and saw that a category for Embryo had been added. I clicked on it right away and a window appeared displaying Nemesis and her parameters. Displayed on the window was the name “Maiden of Vengeance Nemesis,” and “Type Maiden with Arms.” 
Additionally, there were ATK and DEF stats listed, as well as modifiers for each stat. The ATK and DEF stats applied when equipping Nemesis as a weapon. 
So this is the same as normal weapons and armor. 
The stat modifiers, however, appeared to always be in effect just by having Nemesis around, and they apparently weren’t just a set value boost to my stats. When leveling up, increases in my stats would also take these modifiers into account. 
As an overall evaluation, her stats weren’t that strong. The modifier for HP was a bit high, but the rest were low. The ATK stat for equipping Nemesis was only about 50. 
It’s strange to compare this with Bro Bear’s costume, but even after taking that into account, my stats themselves don’t seem like they’ve gone up that much, I thought. Well, I guess that goes without saying since Nemesis was only just born as an Embryo. But in that case, how was I able to defeat the Demi-Dragon Worm? 
As I pondered this, I found the section for skills. Listed there were the two skills “Counter Absorption” and “Vengeance is Mine.” 
The Counter Absorption skill was the wall of light that Nemesis had used. It had a max stock of two uses, and with each use, a wall of light could be created to nullify attacks. It replenished one of its stock every 24 hours. 
And then there was the skill that had defeated the Demi-Dragon Worm, Vengeance is Mine. 
This skill took the total damage received from an enemy within 24 hours, doubled it, and then unleashed that damage as an attack that ignored all defense. Even damage that had been reduced by other skills and items, or nullified by Counter Absorption, was added to the total. 
But once the skill is used, it looks like the damage counter is reset for that enemy, I noticed. 
“Okay, I get it now,” I said. “So that’s how I was able to defeat that Demi-Dragon Worm.” 
Although the damage was reduced by the Dragonscale Wards, I did take three of its hits, I thought. On top of that, Nemesis nullified one attack with her other skill, Counter Absorption. So that’s four in total, and the damage would come out to roughly 3,600. Plus, the ability for Vengeance is Mine then doubled this to around 7,200. 
I don’t know how much life that Demi-Dragon Worm had, but this must mean that it wasn’t more than 7,200 HP. Or maybe its head was a weak spot, and landing a direct hit on it had some effect. 
“...Even if I know how the trick worked, it’s still a miracle,” I thought aloud. 
The one-hit killer move had only worked because I had been weak, and my opponent had been strong. What had also played a big role was that I had overcome several near deaths thanks to the items my brother had given me. But more than anything, Nemesis’s skills had been a perfect match for the situation. 
“The end result sure seems convenient,” I said to myself. 
Embryos are supposed to be unique and based on things like one’s personality, biorhythm, and attributes, right? I thought. Looking at the results this time, it almost seems like it was set up. Also, a skill that gets stronger the more damage I take... I feel as if I’m getting treated like a huge masochist. 
“A masochist, huh... I’ll have you know, this is the result of my having observed you, Master. There were no mistakes,” said Nemesis, seemingly offended. 
Wait, can she hear my thoughts? 
“But anyway, you said ‘observed’?” I asked. 
“The zeroth form is a time period for Embryos to observe their Masters,” she said. “After observing their psychology and behavior, an Embryo’s first form is then born based on this.” 
I see, I thought. So in other words, my experiences since starting have more or less been factored in. 
...Now that I think about it, I collided with Liliana right after I started, and then I also fought a Demi-Dragon Worm. I feel like I’ve been taking a lot of near-fatal damage. So I guess these skills are the end result of all of that, huh? 
“Well,” continued Nemesis, “even if the experiences and behaviors are the same, there will be differences in an Embryo’s form and skills based on each Master. Also... I think Counter Absorption was derived from your personality.” 
“Hm?” I asked. I wonder what she means by that. 
“Oh, and another thing,” she went on. “I’ll go ahead and say this myself, but a Type Maiden Embryo is quite rare, you know? You should be grateful to me and reflect upon how blessed you are.” 
Oh yeah, that’s right, I realized. Maiden wasn’t one of the normal categories Cheshire mentioned. She seems to be a rare type, and it’s a big help that she’s explaining various things to me, but it’s still somewhat of an iffy feeling having a girl come out of an Embryo that’s based on me. 
“Iffy? Did you say ‘iffy?’” she asked huffily. 
Ah, that’s right. She can hear my thoughts. 
“I can hear them!” she shouted. “Iffy? What do you mean by ‘iffy?’ You hit the jackpot with me! This beauty! This rarity! What could there be to complain about?” 
“No I didn’t mean that you were iffy, Nemesis, but the fact that you emerged from me, you see...” 
As we went back and forth, Liliana appeared from the exit of Old Reve Orchard. The armor she was clad in was dirty with mud and dust, but Liliana herself seemed to be unharmed. 
“Milia!” Finding us, Liliana quickly ran to our side, and after looking at her sister’s sleeping face, she let out a sigh of relief. 
“Thank you very much... for protecting my sister... Truly, thank you!” Liliana burst out as tears fell from her eyes. 
“Um, yeah...” I said. This is troubling. I don’t know how to respond. 
“That’s right,” said Nemesis. “You should be grateful to my Master, and even more so to me.” 
And that’s Nemesis for you... 
“Is she your...?” asked Liliana. 
“Yeah, umm... my Embryo.” 
Liliana looked at Nemesis, slightly surprised. “I see. So, after all, as his brother, you’re also a Master chosen by an Embryo. But a Maiden, it’s almost like that...” 
Just as she was about to say something... 
“All right! I’ve escaped from the bearied underground world!” Bro Bear jumped out from the ground together with a loud sound effect. 
“...Ummm,” I said. You were still alive, Bro? Well, his stats were displayed the whole time, just blackened out so I couldn’t tell, but still... 
For some reason, Bro Bear wasn’t carrying his Gatling gun, but instead had a shovel in his right hand. 
That can’t be how he moved through the ground, can it? I wondered. 
“The underground tunnel is now open!” he proclaimed. 
Right after he said this, the ground shook slightly, and the sound of something caving in could be heard. The hole Bro Bear had come out of then closed. 
“And it caved in right away!” 
Oh, shut up. 
“You were all right, Bro?” I asked. 
“Oh yeah! Me and Baldr’s fourth form tore them to shreds!” 
“Fourth? Not the Gatling gun from earlier?” I asked. 
“That’s the second form.” 
I guess that means there are various forms. 
“For some Embryos, you can use their previous forms at will,” Nemesis chimed in. “Brother Bear’s Embryo must’ve been one of those types.” 
...Is “Brother Bear” referring to my brother? I wondered. 
“Ray, is that blali your Embryo?” he asked me. 
He meant “black loli,” shortened to “blali”... Neither of those terms are all that great. 
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said. “I’m Nemesis, Ray Starling’s Maiden with Arms Embryo. I hope we get along, Brother Bear.” 
It appears Nemesis is determined to push through with calling him “Brother Bear.” 
“Setting that aside... Bro, if you were alive, I wish you’d come out sooner,” I said. “I was this close to dying.” 
A total of about four times, actually. 
“That would’ve been difficult,” he said. “Because the whole time, I was locked in battle underground with all the Demi-Drags.” 
All the Demi-Drags? 
“There were swarms of Demi-Drags bearied in an underground cave,” he continued. “I don’t hate bugs, but that really sent shivers down my spine.” 
I stayed silent. 
That thing?! Swarms of them... 
Good thing I didn’t stick around for long. 
“An outbreak of those centipedes... the ‘newbie killer’ is way too scary,” I said. I guess that’s just what you’d expect from a trauma-generating machine. 
“Normally there shouldn’t have been even one Demi-Drag living there...” said my brother. 
“Huh?” I asked. 
“Oh, well. I took care of every one that I found, so they shouldn’t multiply anymore,” he said. “More importantly, let’s head home.” 
“You’re right,” I agreed. “Let’s head back.” 
And so like that, Nemesis, Bro Bear, Liliana, Milianne, and I all started on our way back. 
Due to our close proximity to the royal capital, we arrived in no time. After we passed through the gate, we then parted ways with Liliana and Milianne. 
Before leaving, Liliana said, “I’ll be sure to repay this debt of gratitude.” 
Milianne, who had woken up, gave each of us a remberry from the basket she had held onto so dearly, and said, “Thank you.” 
As I watched the two sisters walk home hand-in-hand... 
The message, “Quest ‘Search for Milianne Grandria’ has been completed,” was displayed, and I finally felt like the quest had ended. 
“It’s over...” I said, exhausted. I feel like I’ve gone through some crazy danger and chaos right off the bat. 

“The reward is one remberry, huh?” asked Nemesis. “A tad shabby considering what we went through, I’d say.” 
If I recall, it’s a fruit worth about 500 yen. 
However, I felt that it had more value than that. 
I wiped the remberry on my clothes and took a bite. It had the taste of a strawberry and the texture of an apple, but that one bite was more delicious than either one. 
It was the taste of accomplishment. 
“All righty then, it’s time to party,” said my brother. “It’s dinnertime. Since today is Ray’s first day playing, I prepared a feast.” 
“You did?” I asked. 
“I have heaps of meats and vegetables ready. Not that bear-bones stuff, either! Top-grade stuff.” 
“Ohh, that sounds fascinating,” chimed in Nemesis. 
That does sound tasty, I thought. Nemesis seems to agree, as well... Wait, Embryos eat food too? 
“And for dessert I’ve got remberries.” 
“Ohhh...” I said. “Wait, what?” 
“For dinner, I bought up all the remberries available at the market this morning. It’s all-you-can-eat.” 
“.........You.” 
If I remember correctly, the reason Milianne went to Old Reve Orchard was because all the remberries were sold out, right? I thought. Which means... 
“Damn it, Bro Bear, you were the start of this whole mess!” I couldn’t stop myself from shouting, and it echoed about the royal capital as the sun began to set. 
 
After chewing my brother out for a while, we made our way to the restaurant he had made reservations at. It was run by a player, and not only did they serve their own food, they also allowed customers to bring their own ingredients that chefs from the restaurant would then cook. My brother had apparently already handed over a mountain of ingredients. 
“All right, in celebration of Ray’s first day and completing his first quest, cheers! Thank you beary much!” 
“Cheers!” said Nemesis and I, as we all clinked our drinks together. My brother had a rem liqueur (made from remberry), while Nemesis and I had a drink that was similar to orange juice. 
Infinite Dendrogram checked age restrictions based on each player’s citizenship, so I apparently wouldn’t be able to drink alcohol until I turned twenty. If I were to go into further detail, sexual material was R 18, while alcohol and tobacco was R 20. 
Since these things exist in the game, I’m not sure if I should call this wholesome or indecent. 
“Hmph. Thanks to my kiddy Master, I can’t drink any alcohol, either,” Nemesis griped. “Six years in our time... that’s long.” 
“Based on appearances, when it comes to who shouldn’t be drinking, you’re number two,” I pointed out. 
Number one would be my brother... for various reasons, I thought. ...Don’t drink alcohol from a glass while in a bear costume. 
“Chomp, chomp,” grunted my brother. “Go on now, eat up. Meat. Eat some meat. Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp.” My brother ate the food laid out on the table and encouraged us to do the same. 
Really, you can eat and drink while wearing that costume? I thought. It’s high-spec, even in weird ways. 
“Okay, okay... What is this? It’s delicious!” I cried. I was surprised at the taste after trying the unknown food I had been recommended. It had been made using ingredients and cooking methods I didn’t know, and yet it had all come together in a tastiness I could comprehend. On top of everything, it was incredibly delicious. 
“The owner of this place is a Star Chef,” said my brother. “It’s the top class fur the Cook Job. His cooking skills would be about a three star in our world.” 
“That’s amazing,” I said. “But after eating a feast like this, it’ll be tough to deal with the difference between this and what I eat in the real world.” 
It should be about dinnertime for me back home, and I should be getting hungry. 
“By the way, my body back in the real world should still be lying down, right?” I asked. 
“Yes. But you’ll get a notice if something happens in the real world. Like fur bathroom breaks or hunger, for example.” 
Right after he said this, a window appeared at the edge of my sight.

“Notice: urge to urinate. 
Notice: hunger.”

Oh, I see. “Okay, then I’m going to log off for a bit,” I said. 
“All right. Try to come back as soon as you can.” 
“Do return quickly, Master,” said my Embryo. “I can’t help myself to the food until you come back.” 
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, and then selected the Logout option from the Main Menu. 
“Logging out. Should your next log in point be your save point or current location?” 
“Current location,” I replied. 
“Understood. We await your return.” 
And like that, my avatar disappeared from the world, and as if waking from a dream, my consciousness receded from Infinite Dendrogram. 
 
“...Ohh.” The first thing I did after logging out of Infinite Dendrogram was check the clock. The time was about three hours later than when I had started the game. I was impressed to see that time really had only advanced by a third of what I had spent in the game world. 
I then went to the bathroom. After that, I ate a balanced nutrition bar and drank some mineral water to replenish my body’s nutrients. Although I had eaten inside the game, my actual stomach hadn’t been filled. 
I checked my cellphone in case I had any missed calls or messages, but there were none. I also looked at the news on my computer, but there wasn’t anything that stood out. 
After about ten or so minutes, I logged back in. 
 
“Welcome back.” 
“...You,” I said. 
Upon arriving back, I saw that the food on the table was all different. It appeared that he’d eaten everything that had been there initially. 
...For him to eat all that food by himself... is my brother really a bear? I wondered. 
“Waahh?! The a la carte I was looking forward to is gone!” As I logged in, Nemesis materialized and let out a scream. 
“Don’t worry,” said my brother. “There’s still plenty of food left. What you’ve seen so far is only about 10% of it.” 
“That’s too much! Just how many people is this for?” I exclaimed. 
If Nemesis hadn’t been born, then it would’ve been just the two of us. Why did he prepare so much?! 
“...Oh well,” I said finally. “By the way, Bro, I still have a few things I want to ask you.” 
“How I got this costume?” 
“No... well, I am a bit interested, but no.” 
There were two system-related things and one thing about Liliana that I was curious about. I guess I’ll start with the easier questions. 
“Embryos change form as they evolve, don’t they?” I asked. 
“That’s right. My Baldr increased its weapon-y-ness. It also got beary much bigger.” 
I thought that Gatling gun was quite large, but... that was only its second form, right? Anything bigger than that and I don’t think you’d be able to carry it. 
“By the way, I wasn’t able to show it to you, but the fourth form I used today is a tank,” he said. 
“A tank?!” Is that even allowed? “So Nemesis will also eventually turn into something different from her current human form... like maybe even a tank.” 
Nemesis, who was eating beside me, became scared and said, “Th-That’s so ominous.” 
“How they evolve depends on their Master, but in your case, Nemesis will probably always be a Maiden,” said my brother. “Although the ‘with Arms’ part might change to a different type.” 
“Speaking of that, Nemesis turned into a sword. What would she be regarded as?” I asked. 
“Like I was saying, she’s a Maiden Embryo that turns into an Arms. Maidens are generally hybrids... A mix of various types.” 
“Really?” I asked. That seems like kind of a bargain. 
After I thought this though, Nemesis complained, “What do you mean, I’m a cheap girl?!” 
“There’s one person I know that has a Maiden Embryo,” my brother explained. “She stayed as a Maiden while the ‘with’ part changed into various things. It’s even become a Superior Embryo now.” 
A Superior Embryo? 
“The first to third forms of an Embryo are called low-rank, while the fourth to sixth forms are called high-rank,” explained my brother. “And then the current highest level that can be reached, the seventh form, is called a Superior Embryo. It’s called this because it surpasses the limits of the high-rank forms.” 
“The final form... Superior Embryo,” I murmured. I wonder if Nemesis will reach that one day. She’s still in her first form, though, so I don’t know how long it’ll take to reach that. 
“By the way, out of all the players, there are fewer than a hundred that have reached this form,” my brother added. 
The game has over 100,000 active players, and yet there are less than a hundred?! I thought. Just how difficult of a path is it? 
“Those people are way too hardcore,” I said. 
“It’s not like they all achieved it solely through their play time,” my brother said. “There are a lot of players who started on release day and still haven’t reached it, while there are those who were able to do it in half a year.” 
Does that mean it requires some special conditions? 
“Oh yeah, Bro, you started playing on release day,” I said. “So how far has your Embryo evolved? What form is it up to?” 
“That’s a bearied se-cr-et.” 
That’s annoying. 
Also, Bro Bear mostly spoke normally when he was explaining things, but used bear puns when he was teasing me. It was irritating, now that I had caught on to this. 
While Bro Bear and I had been talking, Nemesis had cleaned off all the food on her plate before I had even realized it. 
...We were talking about you, you know. 
“Okay, on to my next question,” I said. “It’s about our standing in this world.” 
“And by that you mean?” 
I was thinking over how Liliana had spoken and acted. “Liliana called me something like ‘a Master chosen by an Embryo,’ and not a player. I don’t really get what the circumstances are regarding that... or what the status for us as players is within the setting.” 
Somehow, I didn’t get the feeling she was thinking of me as a player in a game. 
“Hmm,” said my brother. “You can find out about that by reading the background setting on the official site, but... you’ll lose several hours of time if you do, so I’ll give you the short explanation.” My brother then began his lecture on the world’s setting. 
“In this world there are Masters and tians. All of us players are called Masters here. The meaning is something like, ‘One chosen by an Embryo.’ So a Master is someone who raises and uses an Embryo that possesses infinite possibilities. Due to this, a Master’s power is enormous, but in exchange, they are burdened with one condition.” 
“Condition?” I asked. 
“Their bodies are frequently spirited away to a different world.” 
...Hm? 
“A Master may vanish from this world for as little as a few minutes, or for as long as several months,” said my brother. “Also, there are times when they return to the place where they vanished, as well as times when they are flung to a special location called a save point.” 
Wait, isn’t that... 
“At the moment before death, a Master can also use the power of an Embryo to send their body to another world and survive,” said my brother. “However, if this happens, they will not return for at least three days.” 
“So what that means is that logging out and the death penalty for players have been incorporated into the foundation of this world?” I asked. 
“That’s right,” he said. 
“...Wow.” 
As far as I can tell from interacting with Liliana and Milianne, the way tians think is at the same level as real humans, I thought. So in order to allow those tians to go about without realizing this world is a game, they’ve defined how players return to the real world and their immortality as truths of this world. 
I see. There’s a lot more to it than I thought. 
“By the way,” my brother continued, “sometimes there are players that go around saying, ‘this world is a game,’ but the tians view them as ‘pitiable Masters that have gone mad from being sent to different worlds.’” 
“...Ahh,” I said. 
“Also, since Masters disappear so irregularly, for the most part they don’t take on important positions in the kingdom,” he added. “Even if you join the knights in order to get the job Knight, you won’t be given regular work. Instead you’ll get tasks specific to Masters.” 
In other words, you’re given jobs where it’d be fine even if you disappeared during it. 
“Well,” said my brother, “in terms of strength, we’re stronger because of our Embryos, so the jobs that get sent our way usually pay higher rewards than the ones for tians.” 
I wonder if I’ll be asked to go slay a monster by myself, I thought. Well, okay then, that resolved the bigger questions I had regarding the game’s system. Which just leaves... 
“Bro, did something happen between you and Liliana?” I asked. 
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 
“Don’t try to dodge the question. Liliana clearly knew who you were.” And if I were to add to that, it didn’t feel like it was a good impression she had, either. “What did you do?” 
Surely he didn’t make a move on her, right? For example, saying something like, “Yaay! It’s a real female knight! I just can’t get enough!” and then hugging her? 
“I didn’t do anything.” Contrary to my expectations, my brother answered in a serious tone. “It’s because I didn’t do anything... that she probably resents me.” 
“What do you mean?” I asked. 
“It’ll be another long story,” he said. “And unlike before, it’s not going to be a fun one.” 
“I don’t mind.” 
After I said this, my brother let out a sigh and then began to talk. “Two months ago in real time, half a year ago in Dendro time, there was a war. The machine Imperium Dryfe invaded the Kingdom of Altar.” 
The machine Imperium Dryfe: it was one of the nations a player could choose when first starting. It was at odds with this fantasy world as it had an advanced mechanical civilization. 
...Although I don’t have the right to talk about being at odds, given that I have a tank-riding bear in my family. 
“The reason given by their nation was to obtain the Kingdom of Altar’s fertile land,” my brother said. “As for the game’s side... it was a war event.” 
The manual had mentioned war events. They were large-scale battles between nations, and big quests with the fate of each nation on the line. 
“It was a large battle involving Masters and tians,” said my brother. “Well, it was a type of event that doesn’t happen very often and one of the game’s bigger features, but...” he sighed. “The result was a crushing defeat for the Kingdom of Altar. A third of our territory was lost, and among tians, the court magician Arch Wiseman, half of the knights, and the king died. Put simply, many of the key people running this kingdom perished in battle.” 
“...Why did they lose so badly? Is Dryfe that powerful?” I asked. 
No, that’s hard to believe, I thought. It’d be different in real life, but since this is a game, I’m sure they’ve taken measures to balance this. 
“The strength of both countries was essentially even,” he answered. “This includes the nations’ power, the soldiers’ levels, and the fighting ability of important tians. However, the strength of Masters on top of that is a different story.” 
“So you’re saying they lost to Dryfe because of the difference in the number of players?” I asked. 
Dryfe certainly seems like a nation where those who like it would really like it, so maybe a bunch of players joined it, I thought. ...No, that can’t be it. If that were the case, this kingdom would also... 
“The reason they lost is because out of all the Masters that were eligible to join the war, most didn’t participate,” he said. 
“What?” It was an answer I didn’t expect. 
The fate of the kingdom was at stake, and it was a big-time event, yet they didn’t participate? 
“The king of Altar was, how to put it, an old-fashioned person,” my brother said. “He said, ‘This is a crisis for our kingdom. Warriors of this nation, now is the time to rise up!’ It was great that he gave this speech and joined the front-lines, but that was it.” 
“That was it?” I asked. 
“There were no rewards. Essentially, he felt that if you belong to this nation, then it’s a given that you should rise up during its crisis.” 
...I get that the fate of the kingdom was at stake, but I still feel that’s being a bit cheap, I thought. Is that how it’s normally done? 
“Of course, for Masters... for players, they’re enjoying this world but they aren’t staking their lives on this game,” my brother said. “If they die, they just can’t log back in for 24 hours. That’s why even if the kingdom was in a crisis, there were many who thought that if there wasn’t anything to gain, then there wasn’t any meaning in participating.” 
I would be just the opposite, I thought. If the login restriction was the only negative that came from dying, then I would consider joining the war, but I guess everyone thinks differently. There is the cost of the healing items you use during battle, and it’d be a huge minus if you fought some strong enemy and your equipment got destroyed. 
“Regarding this issue, the fact that Dryfe on the other side clearly stated their rewards was a big factor,” he explained, and went on to describe them. 
Apparently they had been quite exceptional. 
They had offered 5,000 lir for every Kingdom of Altar soldier defeated. For each Embryo holder — in other words, each Master — the reward had been 50,000 lir. In addition to this, they had offered various rewards for defeating key people, such as rare items and a privileged status within the nation. 
As a result, the morale of Dryfe’s players had risen, while the motivation of players in the Kingdom of Altar had dropped considerably. 
“There were even some players saying things like, ‘I want to fight on Dryfe’s side,’ and ‘There might be a rare event if this kingdom gets destroyed,’” my brother said. 
I wasn’t sure what to say. As a gamer, I can’t say I don’t understand how they feel. I can understand them, but... 
“And the real decisive blow for the crushing loss was that the Kingdom of Altar’s Big Three — the top players for the kill rankings, duel rankings, and clan rankings — all passed on participating.” 
“Rankings?” I asked. “They have those?” 
“That over there,” he said and pointed outside the window. 
This restaurant faced the square with the water fountain where I had met up with my brother. He pointed at a splendid-looking notice board in front of the water fountain. 
“That’s the Kingdom of Altar’s ranking board. It’s updated every three months in game time. There are the kill rankings where you compete with your accomplishments defeating monsters. Then there are the duel rankings for PvP achievements, and the clan rankings that compare the size of clans. The top thirty ranking players for each of these is listed there.” 
“Hmm,” I said. 
“And this part is important: the only players that can participate in wars are the ones in those rankings. As for the clan rankings, if you’re a member of a clan within the top thirty, then you can participate. So you could temporarily join a clan as a mercenary and fight in a war.” 
So in any case, that means a player can’t fight in wars unless they make it into those rankings. 
And at the time of the last war, the top-ranking players for each category, known as the Big Three, had supposedly said the following when the kingdom sought their participation: 
The top of the kill rankings, King of Destruction (name unknown), had said, “I don’t want to participate in a big event and carelessly expose my face.” 
The top of the duel rankings, Over Gladiator Figaro, had said, “I’m not interested in sloppy fights.” 
The leader of the top clan on the clan rankings, High Priestess Tsukuyo Fuso of The Lunar Society, had said, “We were unable to reach an agreement with the Kingdom of Altar.” 
As a result, the other ranking players’ already low motivation had been brought down even further. 
I’m sure they could see it’d be a losing battle, I thought. And like that, the war had started without many of the ranking players. 
The ones that had participated had included some of the ranking clans, players that had temporarily joined them, such as members of fan clubs for popular tians like Liliana, as well as naive players. 
The result had been a terrible sight. 
The scene on the battlefield could only have been described as a massacre. The overall number of players had been disparate, and most devastating of all was that the top-ranking players on Dryfe’s side had all participated. 
Top of the Dryfe Imperium’s kill rankings, King of Beasts. 
Top of the Dryfe Imperium’s duel rankings, Hell General Logan Goddhart. 
Top of the Dryfe Imperium’s clan rankings, Giga Professor Mr. Franklin, leader of the clan, Triangle of Wisdom. 
Two out of the three had Superior Embryos, and their fighting power had been enormous. The Knights of the Royal Guard Commander and the Arch Wiseman had died at the hands of these three. Even the king had been killed. 
“If things had kept going as they were, without a doubt, this kingdom would’ve been on a straight shot to ruin,” said my brother. “But after being forced to give up a third of our territory, the nation of Caldina began their invasion into Dryfe. Except for some troops they left behind in the territory they took, the rest of Dryfe’s forces retreated back to their homeland, and so the Kingdom of Altar managed to survive by a hair.” 
However, my brother continued to explain, since Caldina had already pulled out of Dryfe, Dryfe would likely attack again in a few months. 
...He was right, I thought. This wasn’t a fun story. 
“So what’s this about you saying that Liliana resents you?” I asked. 
“That’s because I was one of the ranking players listed there that didn’t participate,” he said. “Moreover, the former commander of the knights that died in battle was Liliana and Milia’s father.” 
“...Man,” I said. This really isn’t a fun story. 
“And so, having heard this not-so-fun story, what do you plan to do, Master?” Nemesis, who had been engrossed in her food this whole time and hadn’t joined our conversation, asked. 
“There’s nothing I can do, right?” I asked. 
What will I do when Dryfe attacks again... well, for now, I’ve already made my decision. 
“Even if there’s no reward, I’m not too keen on refusing to participate,” I said. “Even if there’s a cost, I would think there’s some value in taking part.” Even if you were to just view it as a game event. 
“Yeah, well, you’re right about that, but the players’ mood at the time was more of a boycott against the cheap nation,” said my brother. “I even get the feeling that Dryfe might’ve prepared their crazy rewards as a way to create this mood.” 
If that’s the case, then the Kingdom of Altar probably lost to Dryfe strategically before the battle even began. 
“Why didn’t you join, Bro?” I asked. “Was it because of the lack of reward for you, too?” 
“...In my case, it was because having my equipment break would equal exposing my real face.” 
“...Ahh, yeah.” 
Well yeah, that would be a huge problem, but still... 
“Well, I’ve changed my equipment since then, so I’ll be joining next time,” he said. 
That costume’s DEF stat and physical damage reduction are certainly impressive, I thought. Although it’s still a gag item, no matter how you look at it. 
“The next time we do fight, though,” he continued, “the strength of their nation will have increased, while ours will have weakened. So it’ll be tough.” 
“Weakened?” I asked. 
“Since losing the war, there have been a lot of players switching to different nations. There are even tians leaving the kingdom. People on online chat boards have been saying things like, ‘The Kingdom of Altar is past its prime,’ and ‘It’s game over.’” 
I remained silent. 
Defections, refugees, and rampant resignation... That’s the path of a country headed towards collapse in the real world. 
“With the latest update to the rankings, about 70% have been replaced,” he said. 
“Hmm...” I said. Put another way, now might be the chance to get on the ranking boards. 
“In that case, I guess I’ll start from there,” I said. 
Listening to all this has helped me solidify my plans... no, my plans are still the same, but my goals have increased. 
“Have you decided on a new objective?” asked Nemesis. 
I nodded. “As things stand, there aren’t a lot of things I can do, and I can’t take part in the war.” 
Which is why... 
“First I’ll raise my level,” I said, “and then I guess I’ll aim to get onto the rankings.” 
 
Earth — Undisclosed Chat Room 
Members: Professor 
General has joined. 
Beast King has joined. 
Members: Professor, General, Beast King 
Professor: Good evening. 
General: good evening 
Beast King: eve 
Professor: Gentlemen... 
Professor: Did you both watch the video I sent you through Infinite Dendrogram? 
Beast King: saw it 
General: thats why we’re here, obviously 
Professor: That’s true. 
Professor: Now then, regarding our plan to eliminate an important tian. To put it simply... 
Professor: It failed. 
General: ya, fail 
Professor: Those things I released in the dungeon... 
Professor: The horde of Demi-Dragon Worms got wiped out, didn’t they? 
General: werent there holes in this plan from the start? 
General: giving the targets sister bug repellant incense and directing her to the orchard 
General: and then springing a trap on the target there 
Professor: Originally, I had a different set of steps planned. 
Professor: But for some reason all the remberries had disappeared from the market. 
Professor: Even the portion I intended to use for my plan was gone. lol. 
Professor: Tis a real shame. 
Professor: The plan was to give a poisoned remberry to the little sister... 
Professor: and use that to kill the older sister. 
Professor: Lil Sis, “Big Sis, congratulations.” 
Professor: Big Sis, “Thanks. Guhah!” 
Professor: Lil Sis, “Big Siiisss!” 
Professor: This was how it was supposed to go, so what a shame, riiiiiiight?! boo hoo, lol. 
General: what u think is a shame isnt important 
General: the issue is that the new plan got thwarted 
Professor: Wasn’t that bear scary? To go up against almost 100 Demi-Dragon Worms by himself... 
Professor: and even more, to win unscathed. 
Professor: Just one of those things should be a match for a player with a high-rank job. lol. 
General: thats not that big a deal 
General: its possible if ur leveled up and strong...i could do that too 
General: but...defeating a demi dragon worm at lvl 0 with no job 
General: i dont remember anyone being able to do something that absurd 
Professor: My, my. So does that mean his Excellency the General is more concerned by that newbie than the bear? 
General: pfft...i look forward to crushing him 
Professor: As usual, way to play the stereotypical evil top brass character. 
Professor: Me too though! lol. 
General: whatever. this is how i am 
Professor: lol. 
General: but i cant deny it if u call me evil 
General: the destruction of a nation...its this games first big event 
General: i look forward to the chance when dryfe, no, when WE get to accomplish that 
Professor: Well, last time ended with us just taking out some key people and gaining a portion of their territory, so that was a bit hard to stomach. 
General: i had fun fighting with the knight commander 
Professor: The king was boring. 
Professor: It would’ve been better to fight a bunch of soldiers instead. 
General: the arch wiseman...was it beast king that took him out? 
Professor: That was pretty awesome. Just what I’d expect from our strongest player. 
General: hey 
Professor: Oh, okay, okay. His Excellency the General and Beast King are both the strongest. lol. 
General: ya whatever. i’ll prove it to u in the next war 
General: this time i’ll put an end to the kingdom of Altar 
Professor: Yes, please do let me see that. lol. 
General: btw, beast kings been silent the whole time, but dont u have something u want to say? 
Beast King: the bear, was really, cute 
General: ............... 
Professor: ............... lol. 
General: ...i dont understand ur taste, beast king